PUBLIC SPEAKING BY LAWYERS
Michigan Bar Journal, January 1992

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”

We live in a world of speeches. Short speeches as in every day conversation, medium length ones as in commercials and tediously long speeches as we listen to political campaign rhetoric or continuing legal education moderators. As we consciously evaluate communications which keep us interested and those we tune out, we take the first step toward being more effective communicators.

The effect of a good speech cannot be overestimated. Cicero’s orations drove the tyrant Cataline from Rome; a single speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention by Mario Cuomo thrust him into contention for a presidential nomination he continues to disclaim.

Public speaking by lawyers serves a variety of purposes. It gets an attorney out of the office and into the public eye. It keeps one in touch with community sentiment. It assists in educating the public concerning their legal rights and responsibilities, reduces negative stereotypes and increases public awareness as to the availability of the legal system to redress societal problems.

My duty is to speak, I have no desire to be an accomplice.

Once you have decided to attempt public speaking, the next question is how to do you get started? There are a variety of groups an attorney can target, and a number of ways to gain an invitation to speak to a particular group. Most County Bar Associations maintain a Speakers Bureau which places attorneys in schools or before organizations which have requested speakers. Charitable organizations, chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations, professional organizations, support groups and religious organizations are all excellent sources for public speaking engagements. Your membership and active participation in those organizations increases the likelihood that you will be perceived as a resource and will be asked to speak. It is a given, however, that the primary purpose for joining an organization is to serve it and the community. In the absence of such motivation, don’t join at all.

Another excellent source for speaking opportunities is your existing clients. By actively supporting the community and charitable organizations supported by your clients, you may gain insight regarding the needs of your clients and may organize presentations which address both your client’s existing and future requirements. Arranging seminars or lecturing before a client organization not only reinforces client perceptions of you as an expert, but also provides an excellent opportunity to engage in cross-selling of your firm’s services.

In speech-making, as in life, not failure, but low aim, is crime.

There are many elements which must be combined successfully in order to result in effective public speaking. Your attitude, body language, voice, clothes and mental preparation all have an effect on how your presentation will be received before you ever say a word.

Understanding your audience, preparing and targeting your message, the delivery of your presentation and your responsiveness to questions all play an important role. Visual aids, physical arrangements and some thought as to what you will do both before and after you speak will all serve to either increase or decrease your audience’s perception of you as a voice of authority.

No speech can be entirely bad if it is short enough.

Most treatises on the subject list what are termed the biggest mistakes in public speaking. My candidates for this list include the following:

• An imprecise purpose
• Lack of organization
• Too much information
• Not enough support for your ideas and concepts.
• Monotonous tone and sloppy speech
• Not anticipating the real needs of your audience

To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, the two most important powers of a speaker are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.

Things that are true and things that are just have a natural tendency to prevail over their opposites, so that if decisions of Judges are not what they ought to be, the defeat must be due to the speakers themselves and they must be blamed accordingly.

Once you have gained the skills and confidence necessary to effective public speaking, seek out an opportunity to utilize those skills. The entire Bar is served when attorneys share their knowledge and expertise with the public. The more we can educate the public as to their legal rights and responsibilities, the more our reputation as a profession will improve. Effective public speaking not only challenges your audience to raise their level of knowledge and sophistication in a particular area, but challenges you to be both knowledgeable and innovative in your presentation. If you constantly strive to improve your communication skills and test those skills in a public arena, you will be doing yourself, your practice and your profession a great service.